The Seamy Side, by W Besant and J Rice

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: elder son, Anthony the sixth) from a convent near Cadiz. All for love she gave up- country, home, and mother-tongue. For his dear sake she became a black hereticr the only thing which ever troubled her after-life. She is dead now, and her granddaughter, Alison, has inherited her face, her eyes, her hair,...
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Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: elder son, Anthony the sixth) from a convent near Cadiz. All for love she gave up- country, home, and mother-tongue. For his dear sake she became a black hereticr the only thing which ever troubled her after-life. She is dead now, and her granddaughter, Alison, has inherited her face, her eyes, her hair, her strength of will, and her possibilities of passion. '1 believe, Alison, ' said Mr. Hamblinr ' that you were sent into the world to spoil your father. Certainly to grow old is unpleasant, and to grow stiff more unpleasant. Well, we shall have more skating yet. Perhaps the Serpentine will bear to-morrow. Thank you, child, I will take a cup of tea/ ' Dinner at six to-night, auntie, remember, ' cried Alison. ' Dancing to commence punctually at half-past eight. That is the rule at the Hamblin dinner.' ' As if I should forget, my dear, ' said Mrs. Cridland. ' The old-fashioned time for the old- fashioned party, ' said Mr. Hamblin. ' It was my father's time, and my grandfather's; although in his day to dine at six was considered presumptuous in a plain London citizen. For fifty years in this house, and for a hundred and fifty altogether, the 3rd of January, the birthday of the founder, has been kept. We shall have a good gathering to-night, Alison.' ' About the same as usual, ' replied his daughter. ' Cousin Augustus Hamblin and his party, William the Silent, the Colonel and his contingent, the Dean and his wife, Mr. Alderney Codd of course;? (here they all three smiled)?and?' and Mr. Gilbert Yorke is coming too. You asked him, you know, papa.' ' It was in a weak moment, ' her father replied. ' Of course I did not expect him to accept. What attractions can he find at this house ?' (Alison blushed, andshook her head, as much as to say, ' Alas, none ') ' Like the impuden